Conservation Action Network (CAN) - American Society of ...
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
Conservation Action
Network (CAN)
ASP Action Letter: VOLUME 2, ISSUE 2, FEBRUARY 2021
Call-to-Action on The Primate Platform:
Protecting Social Primates from Social Media
Anthropomorphic representations of primates damage
conservation efforts when they become popularized
1
New Media and Primates
Media content will always act as a double-edged sword when it comes to conservation action.
Images of primates in their natural habitat serve to educate people about the animals and their
critical roles in nature, such as ecosystem services. However, some images of primates displayed
on the internet, that do not show primates in their natural habitat, can deceptively sway people
into supporting harmful activities including owning primates as pets (Aragón et al. 2015; Clarke
et al. 2019; Edevane 2019). How primates are presented on social media platforms, and how
algorithms are chosen to encourage their presentation, are influenced by passive audience
consumption. This passive consumption of new media is not a signal that people fail to care
about primate conservation, but rather, they lack access to knowledge about it. Deceptive
images that circulate across social media regularly include “up-close” tourist interactions,
primates in human settings, and primate pets being held by humans.
The images that latch onto internet culture and become mainstream memes tend to be primates in
anthropomorphized situations. While these images could be used to educate people about
primates and their conservation needs (Mkono and Holder 2019), overwhelmingly these images
depict primates as cute (wearing infant clothing) or loveable (riding a bicycle), therefore
deceptively making primate ownership seem desirable (Lenzi, Speiran, and Grasso 2019).
Media consumption is not just about entertainment but is also about revenue. Everything “liked,”
shared or purchased on social media platforms, feeds information on what is popular into an
algorithm, and encourages new ad space, sponsorship of content creators, and data mining that
keeps these sites afloat (Beer 2017). Seeing primates that act like people, or interact
positively with us, sells even when we are not looking to buy. By following an account that
posts pictures of a pet monkey, the content creator may gain in popularity. That popularity gives
the creator a chance to be paid by sponsor companies, sell merchandise with their pet’s image,
and encourage others to post similar content for their popularity and income.
The image of a pet macaque, Darwin, who was found wandering in a Toronto
IKEA in 2012 became a mainstream meme dubbed the “IKEA” monkey. The
term “IKEA monkey” peaked in popularity on Google in December of 2012 (See
Google Trends).
Primates as Pets
The international trade in primates includes many thousands of live individuals and more than a
million dead primates annually and continues to be a serious threat to primate conservation
(Nijman et al. 2011). Worldwide, the live animal trade is a multi-billion-dollar industry (Hall
2019), with primates generating $138M in 2015 (Observatory of Economic Complexity cited in
Norconk et al. 2020).
2
The U.S. currently lacks federal laws prohibiting the movement of primates across state lines
even though 20 states ban the keeping of primates as pets. We need to become more active in
states that permit primates as pets, support the creation of state and federal legislation and
ultimately reduce the incidence of primate pet ownership.
An example of the types of
photographs that should not be
shared: a picture of a tourist feeding
lotus pods to a juvenile macaque. The
person who sold the pods to the tourist
is taking a picture for her. Moments
after this image, a group of macaques
jumped onto the tourist for more lotus
pods, demonstrating the dangers, to
both humans and macaques of such
close contact, with wildlife. (Image
Courtesy of Herbert Covert)
Take Action! The Time to Act is Now!
Protecting Primates in the World of Social Media and Beyond
Since social media platforms are unlikely to have policies or sensitivities to this
issue (Carlson 2020), it is up to us to raise awareness and help regulate the
dissemination of primate images.
• Evaluate images for their potential to convey the wrong message about human-primate
interactions, i.e., owning a primate as a pet.
• Create your own posts that will raise awareness about the inherent cruelty of the primate
pet trade.
• Because images on social media remain the dominant feature of the post and cannot be
altered, users have two options. Ignore the post and it will curtail circulation.
Alternatively, users may attempt to educate by re-circulating the post with comments
3pointing out why these images are problematical and may encourage the primate pet
trade.
• Rippling posts can be interconnected through a hashtag campaign. This not only builds a
community for protecting nonhuman primates, but hashtags also make it easier for
outsiders to follow and join (Carlson 2020, 73-87).
• Initiate or circulate petitions to tighten regulations that restrict international and domestic
trade in primates for pets.
• Support artists by commissioning visuals that can effectively educate people about
primates.
An example of a responsible wildlife photograph. The
proboscis monkey is in the distance eating food fit for its
folivorous diet. (Image Courtesy of Herbert Covert)
Resources for Online Primate Protection
For further information on how to detect dangerous images, we suggest three short documents
that outline the issues and additional ways to help.
An essay in the journal Science by Bridget Alex (2021), “No more cuddly selfies with our
ape cousins, top conservation body warns scientists.”
4The IUCN Primate Specialist Group Section for Human Primate Interactions recently
released guidelines outlining responsible practices that should be taken when posting or
publishing images of primates (Waters et al. 2020). https://human-primate-
interactions.org/resources/
Ashley Edes’ essay (2019), “How Social Media Supports Animal Cruelty and the Illegal
Pet Trade” includes a great list of additional actions that can be taken to protect primates.
Many organizations are beginning to incorporate similar information on their websites and
social media accounts. Some of these groups include: the American Society of Primatologists,
Primate People on Twitter, the Duke Lemur Center, the Lemur Conservation Network, IUCN
Red List, the World Wildlife Fund, the United Nations, Project Simia, CITES, and
TRAFFIC. National Geographic magazine also has published many articles on the subject.
Some online resources have an archive of legal information including FindLaw and the
Michigan State University Animal Legal and Historical Center.. It is important to educate the
public and provide accurate information on the legalities and conservation implications of posts
on the primate pet trade and how primates are depicted and cared for at tourist attractions.
To learn more about trafficking from a holistic standpoint, journalist Mariana van Zeller has
begun a podcast – “The Trafficked Podcast” – focusing on stories from all of the major illegal
trades including the wildlife trade. These podcasts can be accessed through audio apps including:
Spotify, Audible, and Apple Podcasts.
An immediate goal should be to create additional resources that are accessible to a wide audience
including the public, educators, politicians, legislators, scientists and the media. Educational
accessibility can start with our online accounts and is key to dismantling the promotion of the
primate pet trade.
Action Letter Authors:
Madeline Carlson University of Colorado Boulder, USA (madeline.carlson@colorado.edu) and
Herbert Covert University of Colorado Boulder, USA (herbert.covert@colorado.edu)
5References
Alex, Bridget. 2021. No More Cuddly Selfies with Our Ape Cousins, Top Conservation Body
Warns Scientists. Science | AAAS.
https://www.sciencemag.org/news/2021/01/no-more-cuddly-selfies-our-ape-cousins-top
conservation-body-warns-scientists.
Aragón, Oriana R., Margaret S. Clark, Rebecca L. Dyer, and John A. Bargh. 2015. Dimorphous
Expressions of Positive Emotion: Displays of Both Care and Aggression in Response to Cute
Stimuli. Psychological Science 26 (3): 259–73.
Beer, David. 2017. The Social Power of Algorithms. Information, Communication & Society
20 (1): 1–13.
Carlson, Madeline. 2020. #FREETOBECUTE: An Introspective Look on Primate
Representation and how New Media can Protect Primates from the Illegal Pet Trade. CU
Scholar.
Clarke, Tara A., Kim E. Reuter, Marni LaFleur, and Melissa S. Schaefer. 2019. A Viral Video
and Pet Lemurs on Twitter. PLoS ONE 14 (01): 1–15.
Cretois, Benjamin, John. D. C. Linnell, Bjørn P. Kaltenborn, and Arie Trouwborst. 2019. What
Form of Human-Wildlife Coexistence Is Mandated by Legislation? A Comparative Analysis of
International and National Instruments. Biodiversity and Conservation, 28, 1729–1741 (2019).
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-019-01751-6
Edes, Ashley. 2019. How Social Media Supports Animal Cruelty and the Illegal Pet Trade.
The Revelator (blog). June 20, 2019. https://therevelator.org/social-media-illegal-pet-trade/.
Edevane, Gillian Edevane. 2019. Jane Goodall ‘very Disappointed’ by Viral Video of Chimp
Using Instagram: ‘It Perpetuates Illegal Pet Trade.’ Newsweek. April 27, 2019.
https://www.newsweek.com/jane-goodall-decries-viral-video-showing-chimpanzee-using-
instagram-1407598.
Google Trends. Accessed January 27, 2021.
https://trends.google.com/trends/explore?date=all&q=ikea%20monkey%20meme.
Hall, Jani. 2019. Exotic Pet Trade, Explained. Animals. February 20, 2019.
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/reference/exotic-pet-trade/.
Illegal Wildlife Trade. 2021. Species at Risk. Wildlife Trafficking Alliance. Association of Zoos
and Aquariums. https://wildlifetraffickingalliance.org/species-at-risk/.
Lenzi, Christian, Siobhan Speiran, and Chiara Grasso. 2019. Let Me Take a SelfieReviewing
the Implications of Social Media for Public Perceptions of Wild Animals,” April.
6Mkono, Mucha, and Afiya Holder. 2019. The Future of Animals in Tourism Recreation: Social
Media as Spaces of Collective Moral Reflexivity. Tourism Management Perspectives 29
(January): 1–8.
Nijman, Vincent, K. A. I. Nekaris, Giuseppe Donati, M. Bruford, and John Fa. 2011. Primate
conservation: measuring and mitigating trade in primates. Endangered Species Research 13, no.
2 (2011): 159-161.
Norconk, Marilyn A., Sylvia Atsalis, Gregg Tully, Ana Maria Santillán, Siân Waters, Cheryl D.
Knott, Stephen R. Ross, Sam Shanee, and Daniel Stiles. 2020. Reducing the Primate Pet Trade:
Actions for Primatologists. American Journal of Primatology 82 (1): e23079.
Norconk, Marilyn A., 2020. The lucrative trade in African primates threatens their survival. The
Conversation. Feb, 17 2020: https://theconversation.com/the-lucrative-trade-in-african-primates-
threatens-their-survival-131397
Sneddon, Joanne, Julie Lee, Roy Ballantyne, and Jan Packer. 2016. Animal Welfare Values and
Tourist Behaviour. Annals of Tourism Research 57 (March): 234–36.
Waters, Siân, Joanna M Setchell, Laëtitia Maréchal, Felicity Oram, Janette Wallis, and Susan M
Cheyne. 2020. Best Practice Guidelines for Responsible Images of Non-Human Primates, 4.
https://human-primate-interactions.org/resources/
7You can also read
